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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. capital — a city
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. root — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — the month
  12. bark — to shout
  13. band — a ring
  14. march — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. net — after costs
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — money
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. root — the cause
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com